Data acquisition equipment is generally well known within the art for instance for collecting, registering and processing signals from microphones or accelerometers used to monitor the acoustical environment in for instance airports or inside the cabin of an airplane, train or automobile or for connecting a number of transducers, such as microphones or accelerometers distributed over an industrial installation. Also for accessing sound quality in enclosed spaces, such as automobile cabins, such units or systems are used to couple an often vast number of transducers to suitable recording and/or analysing equipment. Prior art Data Acquisition systems are thus both used for development tasks during test or verification and for monitoring purposes in existing installations.
A problem with known data acquisition modules and systems is that such modules are provided with a fixed connector configuration for connecting the module to various transducers and/or for providing control signals to external equipment. If for some reason a user should want to change his transducer set-up or have access to other or another number of control signals, it will thus be necessary to use another module with another connector configuration. Thus, a number of different modules might be necessary in order to carry out different tasks, which is not an optimal solution. As will become apparent, this problem is one of the problems actually addressed and solved by the present invention as set forth in the subsequent summary of the invention and in connection with the different embodiments of the invention described below.
In prior art data modular data acquisition systems, direct data communication between the module and external receptor equipment, for instance a personal computer (PC) is not possible. In many instances it would be advantageous to have access to data acquisition modules from which data can be directly and without any additional means communicated to for instance a PC for analysis, storage or processing. Also it would be advantageous if control signals etc. can be directly communicated from said external equipment to the module. This direct data communication should preferably be accomplished via a standard LAN cable as used extensively in connection with personal computers etc. Also this issue is addressed and solved by the present invention as set forth in the subsequent summary of the invention and in connection with the different embodiments of the invention described below.
Furthermore, it would be advantageous to have access to data acquisition modules that can be used either as completely self-contained stand-alone units that can communicate with for instance a PC via said standard communication means, such as a LAN cable, or together with other modules, either in the form of individual stand-alone modules, for instance located at different places in an installation or in the form of a frame or rack, accommodating a number of such modules. Also this issue is addressed and solved by the present invention as set forth in the subsequent summary of the invention and in connection with the different embodiments of the invention described below.
A problem with prior art data acquisition modules or units is that they function either as stationary or portable units and that set-ups based on prior art modules often require application of a vast number of cables. With prior art modules it is also difficult to form distributed data acquisition systems and such modules or units have often limited and predefined options for battery operation. It would furthermore be advantageous for a user to have a clear visual indication of the connector configuration on the module in order to reduce the risk of erroneous set-up of a (new or altered) measurement system.
All of the above and further issues and problems are addressed and solved by the modules and systems of modules according to the present invention.